Marking press device

ABSTRACT

A marking press device for impressing identification marks upon iron slabs or plates manufactured upon an iron manufacture production line, comprising a truck or carriage capable of moving forwardly toward a plate to be marked, a marking press mechanism supported by the truck and capable of moving relative to the truck a predetermined distance by an auxiliary driving mechanism, reciprocable pistons fitted within cylinders of the marking press mechanism, and marking elements also fitted within the cylinders and actuated by the pistons. Reciprocal drive means retract the truck away from the plate at the conclusion of the marking operation, as well as move such forwardly again for the next operation, and the apparatus also includes means for automatically stopping the marking press mechanism at a predetermined position relative to the slab to be marked as well as means for automatically adjusting the position of the marking press mechanism whereby the marking element will be perpendicular to the surface of the slab upon which the marked indicia will be impressed.

United States Patent [1 1 Hayakawa June 3, 1975 [73] Assignee:Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha,

Tokyo, Japan 22 Filed: Jan. 2, 1974 211 App]. No.: 430,087

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.263,432, June 16,

1972, abandoned.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 17, 1971 Japan, 46-43435[52] U.S. CI. 101/4; 101/35; lOl/4l; 101/316 [51] Int. Cl B44b 5/00 [58]Field of Search 101/3, 4, 9, 35, 41-44, 101/287, 316

[56] References Cited 9 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,818,014 12/1957.lacquart 101/4 3,020,834 2/1962 Brown et a1. 101/4 3,120,175 2/1964Martin 101/4 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 464,357 4/1937 UnitedKingdom 101/4 I 20 g l3 20 l2 13 ll Primary ExaminerEdgar S. BurrAssistant Examiner-Edward M. Coven Attorney, Agent, or FirmOblon,Fisher, Spivak, McClelland & Maier [57] ABSTRACT A marking press devicefor impressing identification marks upon iron slabs or platesmanufactured upon an iron manufacture production line, comprising atruck or carriage capable of moving forwardly toward a plate to bemarked, a marking press mechanism supported by the truck and capable ofmoving relative to the truck a predetermined distance by an auxiliarydriving mechanism, reciprocable pistons fitted within cylinders of themarking press mechanism, and marking elements also fitted within thecylinders and actuated by the pistons. Reciprocal drive means retractthe truck away from the plate at the conclusion of the markingoperation, as well as move such forwardly again for the next operation,and the apparatus also includes means for automatically stopping themarking press mechanism at a predetermined position relative to the slabto be marked as well as means for automatically adjusting the positionof the marking press mechanism whereby the marking element will beperpendicular to the surface of the slab upon which the marked indiciawill be impressed.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures IO l5 l4 PATENTED JUHS SHEET F I G 7 OR T0249 MARKING PRESS DEVICE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is aContinuation-ln-Part of application Ser. No. 263,432, filed June 16,I972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention:

The present invention relates generally to marking presses and moreparticularly to an improved marking press device for marking a figure orother identification mark upon a surface of a slab or a metal plate,such as are produced in an iron manufacturing production line.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

Heretofore, iron slabs or plates, produced for example in an ironmanufacture production line, have been marked with identificationnumbers or other marks by an operator wearing a heat resistant mask, theoperator speedily inscribing the mark with a special rod containing achalk prepared from a specific pigment, while the slab is heated to hightemperatures, such as, for example, 1,000C.

Such conventional operations have been quite dan gerous however, andhave also caused great fatigue to the operators due to the great amountsof heat which radiate from the super heated slabs, and also, because ofthe number of operations run by the operators over extended periods oftime.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it-is an object of the presentinvention to provide an improved marking press device for mechanicallymarking a slab or a metal plate or the like which accomplishes suchmarking by a simple and rapid operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmarking press device which will mark a slab or metal plate clearly andaccurately.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmarking press device for marking a slab or a steel plate or the likewhich mechanically marks the plate. while such is heated in an operationwhichis both easy and safe.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a markingpress device for marking a slab or a steel plate or the like wherein themarking press mechanism is easily adjustable so as to be perpendicularto the marking face of the plate being marked even though the markingpress device is not perpendicular to the marking face.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a markingpress device for marking a slab or a metal plate or the like wherein anirregular or load force, resulting from an uneven marking surface, suchas, for example, a slab, can be prevented from being transmitted to themarking press mechanism due to the mark pressing mechanism beingadjustable so as to be perpendicular to the marking face of the platebeing marked.

The foregoing objectives are achieved according to this inventionthrough the provision of a marking press device having a truck orcarriage which is reciprocable upon guide rails, a marking mechanismsupported by the truck which istranslatable forwardly, rearwardly, andlaterally, and which is also rotatable relative to the carriage ortruck, and driving mechanisms which are capable of driving the truck, aswell as the marking mechanism relative to the truck, whereby the markingpress device may be appropriately positioned and adjusted relative tothe plate being marked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various other objects, features, andattendant advantages of the present invention will be more fullyappreciated as the same becomes better understood from the followingdetailed description when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a marking press device constructed according tothis invention and showing its cooperative parts;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the marking press device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged plan view of the marking press device shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the marking press deviceshown in FIG. 1 taken along the IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged rear view of the main part of the truck ofthe marking press device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the marking press deviceshown in FIG. 1 taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the control mechanism employed inconjunction with the marking press device shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown a markingpress device comprising a truck or carriage 1 capable of rollingmovement upon guide rails 4 by means of wheels 1a. Such movement may beaccomplished by a driving mechanism, such as for example, an aircylinder 2, the air inlet and outlet ducts for the air cylinder notbeing shown in the drawings, a rod 2a connecting the truck or carriage lwith the air cylinder 2. Vertical pole braces 5 are provided forsupporting the guide rails 4 whereby a bridge 6 is formed.

A rectangular-shaped marking press mechanism 3 is supported fromcarriage or truck 1 in a suspended position and is capable oftranslatable movement with the truck 1, and is also capable of movementrelative to the truck 1. Cylindrical marking elements 7 are disposedwithin the left marking face 30 of the marking press mechanism 3, whilea plate 8 to be marked, such as for example, a slab, is disposed at alevel corresponding to the marking mechanism 3, slab 8 being rollablysupported upon a roller table 9.

Mounted to both sides of the marking press mechanism 3 and projectingfrom the marking face 3a are a pair of longitudinal contact rods 21.Such rods are spring actuated, the springs not being shown in thedrawings, and when the front faces or edges of such rods are contactedby the plate 8 being marked, the contact rods 21 are pushed back againstthe biasing spring forces so as to actuate limit switches as will bemore fully discussed hereinafter.

An auxiliary drive mechanism 22 is also provided for moving the markingpress mechanism 3 predetermined distances relative to the truck 1 bypushing or retracting the marking press mechanism in a forward orbackward mode respectively. Mechanism 22 may be an air cylinder, forexample, similar to the drive mechanism 2, the air inlet and outlet forthe air cylinder 22 not being shown in the drawings. A verticalcylindrical coupling pole 23 suspendedly connects the body of themarking press mechanism 3 to a supporting plate 25 (see FIG. 5) of thetruck or carriage 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is disclosed the structure of themarking press mechanism 3. A hammer or piston 11 is reciprocallydisposed within each of a plurality of cylinders 10, the hammer 11 beingactuated by various means, such as, for example, compressed air. Anannular bushing 12 supports the marking elements 7 within a first blocksection 13 which also serves to support the front or left edges of theair cylinder 10, and perpendicularly disposed with respect to, but nevertheless connected with, cylinders 10 are a set of left air ducts 13a.A second block section 14 supports the rear or right edges of aircylinders 10, block section 14 also housing air ducts 14a disposedsimilarly to ducts 13a. As shown in FIG. 4, marking element 7 is in itsextended or marking position, and it is of course apparent that theelements 7 may be retracted to a non-marking position by any one ofconventional means. For example, a coil spring, not shown, may beinterposed between the head portion of element 7 and the right endportion of bushing 12, or as an alternative, bushing 12 may be aresilient bushing.

Laterally disposed of block sections 13 and 14 for connecting the sametogether are a pair of bolt and screw assemblies 15, and a plurality ofcontact legs project from the marking face 30 of the marking pressmechanism 3, legs 20 being positioned in vertically aligned pairs at thelateral edges of the left end surface of block section 13. A compressedair branch 16 is disposed upon the block section 13 whereby compressedair is dividedly delivered to each cylinder 10, branch 16 being a blockcontaining a plurality of connecting ducts corresponding to the numberof cylinders 10 and being transversely disposed with respect to section13. Similarly, another branch 17 is mounted upon the section 14. An airhose 18 is connected to branch 16, whereas an air hose 19 is similarlyconnected to branch 17, such air hoses being equipped through the innerpart of the coupling pole 23 (See FIGS. 1 or 5) to the truck 1.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is disclosed the structure of theslidable connection existing between the truck 1 and the marking pressmechanism 3. A rectangular-shaped cavity 24 is disposed within thebottom section of the body of the truck 1, a rectangular supportingplate 25 of the marking press mechanism 3 being located within cavity 24and being connected to the coupling pole 23 at its lower surface. Anannular base plate 26 of the truck 1 has a central longitudinal slot oropening 27 through which coupling pole 23 can freely move longitudinallya predetermined distance.

Base plate 26 further includes housing flanges 29, each one of which islocated near an interior edge of plate 26 defining slot 27, each flange29 serving to define grooves which accommodate a roller bearing 28.

The supporting plate 25 is also mounted upon four roller assemblies 30being similarly disposed about pole 23 and being accommodated withinroller grooves 31 provided within roller bearings 28. Thus, rollerbearings 28 permit the supporting plate 25 to move substantiallyforwardly and backwardly, that is in directions parallel to the guiderails 4, while the roller assemblies 30 allow the supporting plate 25 tomove laterally toward the right and left, that is, perpendicularly tothe guide rails 4. In addition, supporting plate 25 is rotatable aboutthe longitudinal axis of coupling pole 23, and although the detailsthereof is not shown in the drawings, such rotatable mechanism andresulting movement will become more apparent hereinafter.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the auxiliary drive mechanism 22 is disclosedin detail as comprising a cylinder within which is disposed a pistonhaving a rod 33 which is rotatably pivoted at one end to a bolt 32 whichis mounted to the truck 1, and which is similarly pivoted at the otherend to a bolt 34 which is mounted to the supporting plate 25 of themarking press mechanism 3. Thus the mechanism 3 may be moved relative tothe truck 1 by actuation of the driving air cylinders 22.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the operation of the present invention isschematically disclosed. When the plate 8 to be marked is transferred bythe roller assembly 9 to Wards the front of the marking press device andis stopped in front thereof, an initiation signal is given manually orby automatic mechanisms, whereby an electromagnetic valve 35 of thedriving mechanism of the truck 1, such as for example, the air cylinder2, is actuated and opened so as to actuate the air cylinder 2 such thatthe truck 1 is moved forwardly from its waiting position.

The marking press mech nism 3 supported by the truck 1 also approachesthe plate 8 to be marked, and when either of the spring-biased contactrods 21 (hereinafter the description proceeding with respect to theright contact rod) is compressed by the plate 8, a limit switch 36 inassociation with the contact rod 21 is activated to its ON position,emitting an operation signal. During this period, the electromagneticvalve 35 is maintained in its actuated position. When the operationsignal from the limit switch 36 reaches an OR circuit 38 and isconducted to a self-holding circuit 37, the actuation of theelectromagnetic valve 35 is terminated so as to reduce the speed of thetruck 1 and to stop it at a predetermined position.

Simultaneously with the above-described operation however, the signalfrom the limit switch 36 also actuates and opens an electromagneticvalve 39 associated with the auxiliary driving mechanism, that is, theair cylinders 22, thereby actuating the same. The marking pressmechanism 3 thus begins to move, relative to the truck 1, towards theplate 8 to be marked by the operation of the air cylinders 22. As themarking press mechanism 3 is rotatably fitted with respect to the truck1 for movement in a horizontal plane (such control mechanism not beingshown in the drawings) the air cylinders 22 are accordingly operateduntil both the right and left pair of contact legs 20 make contact withthe marking face or part 8a (See FIG. 1) of the plate 8 to be marked.

When the marking part 8a is not perpendicular to the marking direction,that is the direction of translatable movement of truck 1 and mechanism3, the direction of the marking press mechanism 3 is thus rotatably adjusted so as to be perpendicular to the marking part 8. In other words,if one of the pairs of contact legs 20 contacts the marking part 8a, perthe operation of the air cylinders 22, before the other pair does, thecylinders 22 are operated so that the marking press mechanism 3 will beconsequently rotated about the contact point of the contact leg and themarking part 8a, such acting as a fulcrum, so that the other part ofcontact legs 20 is able to seat against the marking part 8a.

As the air cylinder 22 associated with the contact leg 20 which is notyet in contact with the slab is actuated. pivotable fittings 32 and 34permit plate 25 to rotate relative to truck 1. In addition. whilerollers 28 are merely slidably supported upon plate 26 in a nonconfinedmanner, that is, they are not disposed within grooves similar to grooves31 housing the rollers 30, the forces transmitted by cylinder 22 mayresult in a compound movement of rollers 28 comprising a forwardcomponent as well as a lateral component, whereby rollers 28 maytraverse an arcuate movement corresponding to the rotation of plate 25about the axis of pole 23. In addition, the compound movement is alsofacilitated by the lateral movement of the rollers 30 within the grooves31 of rollers 28, and it is of course also apparent that as thenon-perpendicularity of the marking press device relative to the markingplate 8 will normally comprise only several degrees, rollers 28 willmove in virtually a straight line, the relative size of the arctraversed also being considered, while plate 25 does in fact rotateabout pole 23. Such action prevents severe loads from being applied tothe various parts of the marking press device, when for example themarking part 8a of the plate 8 is rough, such as for example, in thecase of a slab, such consequently not permitting the first pair ofcontact legs 20 from sliding along face 8a until properly seated.

Still referring to FIG. 7, when both the right and left legs 20 thuscontact the marking part 8a, the limit switch associated with the leftresidual contact rod 21 is accordingly placed in the ON position.However, the electromagnetic valve 39 of the air cylinders 22 is stillbeing actuated by a self-holding circuit 41, and therefore they do notadvance the mechanism 3 any further relative to plate 8.

In addition, both operation signals of the limit switches 36 and 40 ofthe right and left contact rods 21 are transmitted through an ANDcircuit 42, and ultimately the self-holding circuit 44 of theelectromagnetic valve 43 for actuating the hammers 11 rearwardly. Theself-holding circuit 44 will release for actuation of valve 43 after aspecific period of time after being actuated, such time being shorterthan the delay time of a timer 45. Accordingly, compressed air will becharged through the air hose 18 by the electromagnetic valve 43 forretracting the hammers 11, whereby the hammers 11 are now retracted andare in the waiting position within each cylinder 10 at the right side ofmechanism 3. Thus, the self-holding circuit 44 has been released, theactuation of the electromagnetic valve 43 has now terminated, and theair charge from the hose 18 has also terminated.

However, the output of the AND circuit 42 is also given to timer 45.After a specific delay time of the timer 45, that is after a waitingperiod associated with the hammers 11 within each cylinder 10 at theright side of the mechanism 3. the electromagnetic valve 46 for movingthe hammers 11 forwardly is actuated by the output of the timer 45 whichalso delays the actuation of the self-holding circuit 47, and thus thehigh pressure of compressed air is discharged from the air hose 19whereby the hammers 11 are moved and accelerated within each cylinder 10toward the plate 8 to be marked, hammers l1 actuating marking elements 7which now approach the marking part 8a of the plate being marked so thatthe appropriate figures, letters, or the like are marked upon themarking part 8a.

It is noted though, that the output of the timer 45 is also given to thetimer 48. After the predetermined delay time of the timer 48, that is,after marking. the output of the timer 48 is given to OR circuit 49.When the output is given from OR circuit 49, the actuation of theself-holding circuit 41 of the auxiliary cylinder 22 is first released,thereby allowing the marking press mechanism to be retracted.

Secondarily, the actuation of the electromagnetic valve 46 for hammersll of the self-holding circuit 47 is released, and thirdly, theelectromagnetic valve 43, for retracting hammers ll, of the self-holdingcircuit 44 is actuated, whereby the hammers 11 are retracted bycontinuous release of the self-holding circuit for a suitable period.Fourthly, the electromagnetic valve 50, of truck cylinder 2, forbackwardly movement thereof, is actuated, whereby the holding pattern ofthe truck is released together with the continuous release of theself-holding circuit 51, whereby the truck 1 is retracted. It is notedthat the first, second, third and fourth operations are simultaneouslyinitiated.

Thereafter, the truck 1 supporting the marking press mechanism 3continues to move backwardly to a specific predetermined position, wherea specific limit switch located at a predetermined position of the railis in the ON position, such actuating the self-holding circuit 51 of thetruck cylinder electromagnetic valve 50 whereby the truck 1 is stoppedat the specific position after appropriately reducing its speed. In thiscondition, the device waits the next initiation signal for marking. Itis also noted that it is possible to return the truck 1 to its originalcondition, for awaiting the initiation signal, from a halfway conditionof each part by actuation of a reset signal 53 which sets such conditionwhen acting upon the output from the timer 48.

If it is desired to change the particular mark being impressed upon slab8, it is possible to do so, since each marking element 7 can bewithdrawn, in a horizontal direction, from the section 13 together withthe bushing 12 by disconnecting a part of the connection of the markingelement 7, such not being shown in the drawings. I

It is also possible to provide suitable protection for the markingmechanism 3 against excessive amounts of heat, such as, for example, bycovering the mechanism with a casing having water-cooled walls, such notbeing shown in the drawings, under the conditions where the markingpress mechanism 3 is heated by the plate 8 being marked.

It is also possible to use hydraulic driving mechanisms or electricdriving mechanisms instead of the compressed air cylinders of thedriving mechanisms of the truck 1 as illustrated.

In addition, it is also possible to reciprocate the marking element 7directly within the cylinder 10 for directly impressing the plate 8instead of reciprocating the hammer 11 within the cylinder 10 asillustrated.

It may thus be seen that the marking press device of the presentinvention has important advantages over the known prior art structuresin that the device identitics iron slabs automatically and safely, andwithout the generation or comsumption of excess amounts of heat.

With the incorporation of its various adjustable means, the service lifeof the apparatus is also prolonged, as undesirable stresses which mayoperate within the apparatus due to the working load being impressed.are obviated.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is to be understood.therefore. that within the scope of the appended claims the presentinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by letters patent ofthe United States is:

I. An automatic marking press device comprising:

a truck movably disposed upon guide rails;

marking press means supported by said truck for marking a plate;

a driving mechanism connected to said truck for moving said truckforwardly and backwardly upon said guide rails whereby said truck andsaid marking press means are able to be moved relative to said plate tobe marked;

auxiliary driving means for moving said marking press meanslongitudinally, laterally, and rotatably within a horizontal planerelative to said truck whereby the relative position between said truckand said marking press means and between said marking press means andsaid plate to be marked may be adjusted;

means for automatically stopping said driving mechanism of said truck;and

retractable contact rod means projecting from said marking press meanstoward said plate to be marked and adapted to be retracted, uponcontacting said plate to be marked as said marking press means is movedtoward said plate to be marked by said driving mechanism, for actuatingsaid means for automatically stopping said driving mechanism of saidtruck.

2. The marking press device as set forth in claim 1'',

wherein the marking press device further comprises:

a plurality of contact leg means mounted upon the sides of said markingpress means and projecting therefrom toward said plate to be marked forcontacting said plate prior to the marking operation and for controllingsaid auxiliary driving means for assuring the perpendicularity of saidmarking press means relative to said plate to be marked.

3. The marking press device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the markingpress device further comprises:

a plurality of movable marking elements on said marking press means; and

means for automatically moving said movable marking elements toward saidplate to be marked.

4. The marking press device as set forth in claim 3. wherein saidmarking element moving means comprises air cylinder devices supportingsaid movable marking elements.

5. The marking press device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said aircylinder devices comprise:

air cylinders;

hammer devices movably disposed in said air cylinders, and projectabletherefrom so as to contact said movable marking elements; and

means for supplying compressed air to said air cylinders to drive saidhammers.

6. The marking press device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said meansfor automatically stopping said driving mechanism further comprises:

switch means connected to said retractable contact rod means forgenerating an operation signal when said retractable contact rod meansis retracted; and

first circuit means for receiving said operation signal from said switchmeans and for generating a stop signal to said driving mechanism.

7. The marking press device as set forth in claim 6 further comprisingsecond circuit means for receiving said operation signal from saidswitch and for generating a signal to activate said compressed airsupply means for driving said hammers away from said plate.

8. The marking press device as set forth in claim 7 further comprisingfirst timer means for receiving said operation signal from said secondcircuit means and for generating an output signal for a duration of timeso as to activate said compressed air supply means for driving saidhammers toward said plate for marking particular ind-icia upon saidplate.

9. The marking press device as set forth in claim 8 further comprisingsecond timer means for receiving said output signal from said firsttimer means and for generating a control signal so as to activate saidcompressed air supply means for driving said hammers away from saidplate and to activate said driving mechanism to move said truck awayfrom said plate after completion of said marking operation.

1. An automatic marking press device comprising: a truck movablydisposed upon guide rails; marking press means supported by said truckfor marking a plate; a driving mechanism connected to said truck formoving said truck forwardly and backwardly upon said guide rails wherebysaid truck and said marking press means are able to be moved relative tosaid plate to be marked; auxiliary driving means for moving said markingpress means longitudinally, laterally, and rotatably within a horizontalplane relative to said truck whereby the relative position between saidtruck and said marking press means and between said marking press meansand said plate to be marked may be adjusted; means for automaticallystopping said driving mechanism of said truck; and retractable contactrod means projecting from said marking press means toward said plate tobe marked and adapted to be retracted, upon contacting said plate to bemarked as said marking press means is moved toward said plate to bemarked by said driving mechanism, for actuating said means forautomatically stopping said driving mechanism of said truck.
 1. Anautomatic marking press device comprising: a truck movably disposed uponguide rails; marking press means supported by said truck for marking aplate; a driving mechanism connected to said truck for moving said truckforwardly and backwardly upon said guide rails whereby said truck andsaid marking press means are able to be moved relative to said plate tobe marked; auxiliary driving means for moving said marking press meanslongitudinally, laterally, and rotatably within a horizontal planerelative to said truck whereby the relative position between said truckand said marking press means and between said marking press means andsaid plate to be marked may be adjusted; means for automaticallystopping said driving mechanism of said truck; and retractable contactrod means projecting from said marking press means toward said plate tobe marked and adapted to be retracted, upon contacting said plate to bemarked as said marking press means is moved toward said plate to bemarked by said driving mechanism, for actuating said means forautomatically stopping said driving mechanism of said truck.
 2. Themarking press device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the marking pressdevice further comprises: a plurality of contact leg means mounted uponthe sides of said marking press means aNd projecting therefrom towardsaid plate to be marked for contacting said plate prior to the markingoperation and for controlling said auxiliary driving means for assuringthe perpendicularity of said marking press means relative to said plateto be marked.
 3. The marking press device as set forth in claim 2,wherein the marking press device further comprises: a plurality ofmovable marking elements on said marking press means; and means forautomatically moving said movable marking elements toward said plate tobe marked.
 4. The marking press device as set forth in claim 3, whereinsaid marking element moving means comprises air cylinder devicessupporting said movable marking elements.
 5. The marking press device asset forth in claim 4, wherein said air cylinder devices comprise: aircylinders; hammer devices movably disposed in said air cylinders, andprojectable therefrom so as to contact said movable marking elements;and means for supplying compressed air to said air cylinders to drivesaid hammers.
 6. The marking press device as set forth in claim 5,wherein said means for automatically stopping said driving mechanismfurther comprises: switch means connected to said retractable contactrod means for generating an operation signal when said retractablecontact rod means is retracted; and first circuit means for receivingsaid operation signal from said switch means and for generating a stopsignal to said driving mechanism.
 7. The marking press device as setforth in claim 6 further comprising second circuit means for receivingsaid operation signal from said switch and for generating a signal toactivate said compressed air supply means for driving said hammers awayfrom said plate.
 8. The marking press device as set forth in claim 7further comprising first timer means for receiving said operation signalfrom said second circuit means and for generating an output signal for aduration of time so as to activate said compressed air supply means fordriving said hammers toward said plate for marking particular indiciaupon said plate.